Pelmeni is everyone's favorite dish, prepared at home, served in cafes and restaurants. Some believe that good dumplings should only be home-made, while others purchase products from well-known brands and are quite satisfied with its quality. To make the dumplings truly tasty, they need to be cooked correctly. During the cooking process, the dough will not break, it will remain tender and elastic, and there will be a lot of tasty and aromatic meat juice inside.
Making homemade dumplings: a step-by-step approach
Homemade dumplings are made with softer dough, so you need to cook them less. This applies to freshly molded products that have not been frozen. In a spacious saucepan, you need to boil water, adding salt, a couple of bay leaves and black peppercorns to it. The dumplings are placed in a boiling liquid and immediately passed along the bottom with a slotted spoon so that the semi-finished products do not stick. When all the products are placed in the pan, you need to gently mix them again with a slotted spoon. You should not act too intensively, otherwise there is a risk of tearing the thin dough. Do not cover the pot with a lid, otherwise the boiling liquid will flood the stove.
When the dumplings come up, you need to wait 2-3 minutes. Much depends on the quality of the flour, the characteristics of the dough kneading, the size of the dumplings. The smaller the products, the faster they reach the desired condition. In case of doubt, you can fish out one piece and break it with a fork. The meat should not be reddish and the dough should not be too tough. It is not worth digesting dumplings, they lose their taste, the dough becomes loose, the juice flows out.
Frozen homemade dumplings are never thawed before cooking. An important condition is to check before cooking whether the semi-finished products in the bag are stuck together. If it is impossible to separate them with your hands, it is worth understanding - during the cooking process, the products will definitely break and the delicious meat juice will flow out. If each dumpling is frozen separately and does not stick to neighbors, the dish will turn out great. Frozen products are cooked in the same way: they are poured into a saucepan with boiling water, gently mixed, wait for the dumplings to boil and float again. Cooking time for home freezing is 4-6 minutes after floating.
The taste of homemade dumplings will be complemented by freshly boiled beef or chicken broth, fresh sour cream, mustard, mustard or vinegar-based sauce. Some people like spicy or sweet tomato sauces, satsebeli or tkemali.
Purchased dumplings: a step-by-step cooking recipe
When purchasing ready-made deep-frozen dumplings, it is important to make sure that they are not thawed or re-frozen. The general rule is that large products take longer to cook. The shape does not matter, but classic dumplings without pinched edges, made by machine, can quickly come apart. Such products are cooked a little faster than those made in a handicraft way. On average, 4-6 minutes should elapse after repeated boiling and floating of products. In order not to be mistaken, it is worth buying products from one manufacturer.
Sometimes the taste of store-bought dumplings does not seem saturated to consumers. This drawback is easy to correct, it is enough to throw a bouillon cube, meat or mushroom, into boiling water before cooking. After boiling, the dough acquires a delicate aroma and a beautiful golden hue.
Dumplings can also be cooked in a broth that you cook with your own hands. When they come up, the products are laid out in deep bowls, pouring hot broth. Sprinkle the dish with ground black pepper or finely chopped herbs.
Original techniques for making dumplings
Cooking in a saucepan is not the only option for making dumplings. Large specimens with a wide rim of dough and a lot of meat are conveniently steamed to condition. It's easy to do: grease the cooking basket with any oil, carefully lay out the dumplings. Fill the double boiler bowl with water, add spices: bay leaf, peppercorns, herbs. Place the basket over the bowl, close the lid and start the half hour program. In an appliance with a pressure cooker function, the process goes faster, fragrant steamed dumplings will be ready in 20 minutes. A big plus of this method is the absence of the risk of overcooking, the dumplings will remain juicy and tasty.
Owners of a multicooker can cook dumplings using this device. Pour water into a bowl, add spices and salt, lower the lid and set the Soup or Multi-Cook program. When the liquid boils, put the dumplings, stir. Cook for another 6 minutes.
You can make an even more interesting dish by mixing water with sour cream in an arbitrary proportion. Be sure to add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Place the dumplings, turn on the Baking program and cook for 20 minutes. When the cycle is over, there will be ready-made dumplings in the bowl, immersed in a thick sour cream sauce. You can sprinkle the grated cheese on the dish and leave it in the heating mode for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. All that remains is to put the dumplings on heated plates and serve immediately, while they are still warm.
You can quickly cook dumplings in the microwave. The only condition is to cook no more than 200 g of products at a time, while they must be placed in plastic, ceramic or glass dishes. Put the products in a container, pour boiling water so that the dumplings are freely distributed and touch each other as little as possible. Season with salt, bay leaves and a couple of black peppercorns for flavor. Cover the container with a plate and turn on the microwave at full power for 10 minutes. Very large dumplings take longer, up to 15 minutes. From time to time, you can open the door slightly, controlling the process.
